Java Stack Class

In this tutorial, we will learn about the Java Stack class and its methods with the help of examples.

The Java collections framework has a class named Stack that provides the functionality of the stack data structure.

The Stack class extends the Vector class.

Stack Implementation
In stack, elements are stored and accessed in Last In First Out manner. That is, elements are added to the top of the stack and
removed from the top of the stack.

Creating a Stack
In order to create a stack, we must import the java.util.Stack package first. Once we import the package, here is how we can c
a stack in Java.
Here, Type indicates the stack's type. For example,

// Create Integer type stack

Stack<Integer> stacks = new Stack<>();

// Create String type stack

Stack<String> stacks = new Stack<>();

Stack Methods
Since Stack extends the Vector class, it inherits all the methods Vector . To learn about different Vector methods, visit Java V
Class.

Besides these methods, the Stack class includes 5 more methods that distinguish it from Vector .

push() Method

To add an element to the top of the stack, we use the push() method. For example,

import java.util.Stack;

class Main {
public static void main(String[] args) {
Stack<String> animals= new Stack<>();

// Add elements to Stack

animals.push("Dog");
animals.push("Horse");
animals.push("Cat");

System.out.println("Stack: " + animals);

}
}

Run Code

Output

Stack: [Dog, Horse, Cat]

pop() Method
To remove an element from the top of the stack, we use the pop() method. For example,

import java.util.Stack;

class Main {
public static void main(String[] args) {
Stack<String> animals= new Stack<>();

// Add elements to Stack

animals.push("Dog");
animals.push("Horse");
animals.push("Cat");
System.out.println("Initial Stack: " + animals);

// Remove element stacks

String element = animals.pop();
System.out.println("Removed Element: " + element);
}
}

Run Code

Output

Initial Stack: [Dog, Horse, Cat]

Removed Element: Cat

peek() Method

The peek() method returns an object from the top of the stack. For example,
 import java.util.Stack;

class Main {
public static void main(String[] args) {
Stack<String> animals= new Stack<>();

// Add elements to Stack

animals.push("Dog");
animals.push("Horse");
animals.push("Cat");
System.out.println("Stack: " + animals);

// Access element from the top

String element = animals.peek();
System.out.println("Element at top: " + element);

}
}

Run Code

Output

Stack: [Dog, Horse, Cat]

Element at top: Cat

search() Method

To search an element in the stack, we use the search() method. It returns the position of the element from the top of the stack.
example,

import java.util.Stack;

class Main {
public static void main(String[] args) {
Stack<String> animals= new Stack<>();

// Add elements to Stack

animals.push("Dog");
animals.push("Horse");
animals.push("Cat");
System.out.println("Stack: " + animals);

// Search an element
int position = animals.search("Horse");
System.out.println("Position of Horse: " + position);
}
}
Output

Stack: [Dog, Horse, Cat]

Position of Horse: 2

empty() Method

To check whether a stack is empty or not, we use the empty() method. For example,

import java.util.Stack;

class Main {
public static void main(String[] args) {
Stack<String> animals= new Stack<>();

// Add elements to Stack

animals.push("Dog");
animals.push("Horse");
animals.push("Cat");
System.out.println("Stack: " + animals);

// Check if stack is empty

boolean result = animals.empty();
System.out.println("Is the stack empty? " + result);
}
}

Run Code

Output

Stack: [Dog, Horse, Cat]

Is the stack empty? false